


Il fuoco di vero amore

by Spottedleafpaw



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-18 18:03:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1437586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spottedleafpaw/pseuds/Spottedleafpaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aphrodite and Hecate team up to bring together the Three Sons of the Big Three with their true loves... in Paris. Nico's a bit caught in the middle of this scheme, since Percy and Jason suddenly seem to be in love with him for no reason. And why is Leo so jealous? Valdangelo, Percabeth, Jiper/Jasper. Jercy, Percico & Jasico references, confused Nico alert. Tumblr prompt, T.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dumbest Prophecy Ever

**Author's Note:**

> And here's a sort of full-blown Valdangelo fanfic, coming to you in a series of parts that I have no idea how long will take to upload or write. Heh. Anyways, this was based off another tumblr prompt by sugarandicetea :
> 
> Leo having a crush on Nico when they first met then Nico going on a quest with Jason and Percy that accidentally puts the two in a love spell with Nico and Leo comforting Nico's confused feelings and later ending up with them being together
> 
> I altered it slightly to make it more of a cohesive story (such as the setting, and Leo's initial feelings for Nico progressing more naturally.)
> 
> This is set immediately after the war, and as I'm pretty sure no one knows how this is going to turn out I will leave it ambiguous and not mention much. I'm focusing on the actual current events, and the feelings are the main point here. I need to re-read all the HOO books anyways since my knowledge is really rusty.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Il fuoco di vero amore_

1

It wasn't unusual for the goddess Aphrodite to be extremely susceptible to sensing the waves. Not ocean waves, mind you, but love waves; powerful feelings of lust, regret or passion that she could pick up on depending on the strength of the moment. It was rare for her to feel pure, true love coursing through her godly system, however, and whenever it happened it filled her with a sense of euphoria unlike any other. Human love was beautiful, nice, comforting. Yet she was easily able to pick up on the feelings of the demigods, of course, because they had a special signature that reflected back and coincided nicely with her own status as a goddess.

Currently, she had been basking in some of the most interesting feelings relating to a certain trio of extra-special demigods, however. Aphrodite had been following these three rather closely, since they were paramount and uniquely important to the entirety of their race. The Sons of Jupiter, Poseidon, and Hades (specifically) all had a pinpointed place in the Greco-Roman modern world that Aphrodite was curious to see unfold more as time went on.

Her specialty being love, of course, led to her understanding of something quite pressing: two out of three were happy, in pure love with their partners. Jason Grace and her own daughter Piper McLean were matched utterly to perfection, as were Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. If Aphrodite closed her eyes, she could feel the hearts of these couples as if they were intertwined, so in love were they. Nico di Angelo, however, was another story.

The Son of Hades was a whirlwind of bitterness and horridly depressed, mixed with anger and all directed at none other than Percy Jackson himself. Aphrodite had seen (and felt) that one coming from around the corner, but it wasn't her place to say anything. Now that everything had settled back down to normal, however, she felt the need to meddle a bit.

"You wanted to see me?"

Aphrodite turned from her place on the recliner in order to meet the misty eyes of the goddess Hecate. Raised eyebrows met Aphrodite's own twinkling eyes filled with excitement.

"Yes, we have plenty of work to do. Your magic and my potions will work wonders on this impending chaos..."

x.X.x.X.x.X.x

Some would say that Nico di Angelo's glare really could send you to an early death. If looks could kill, Nico'd be the one to do it and rather permanently. Percy Jackson was in fact the current recipient of one of these glares, and he was rather surprised to still be standing.

"Why not Annabeth?" the young Son of Hades growled.

"The quest was specifically set for the three of us... Sons of the Big Three." Percy was trying to shift the blame as far away from himself as possible, knowing full well that it wasn't working. Nico looked about ready to skewer the messenger (himself) with that Stygian iron sword of his.

"Not the daughters? Why can't Hazel go instead of me?" Nico tried, seemingly getting a little desperate.

"She's a girl. Not a Son, like it says. You know how picky these prophecies get. Take it up with Rachel, okay?!" Percy finished, exasperated and running a hand through his dark hair. Nico looked away, not able to watch him do that since it was one of the most attractive things he'd ever witnessed.

Uncomfortable, he snapped back instead.

"What was it again?"

Percy frowned, biting his lip a bit before launching into the newest prophecy given at Camp Half-Blood.

' _Powerful Sons Three,_

_of Earth, Sky, and Sea,_

_Shall undertake the journey_

_of many indecisions._

_Under influence of drug,_

_Time, lust, and love_

_One will be tested anew_

_And compromise his virtue._

_To kindle fire in his heart,_

_He's given a head start_

_With the help of a potion_

_To sort out his emotion._

_In the City of Light_

_Will these three fight_

_For control that has been taken_

_And only then will they awaken.'_

Nico swallowed thickly, not liking where this was going one bit.

"That might be the dumbest prophecy I've ever heard in my life."

Percy chuckled awkwardly, shifting a little from foot to foot.

"We should go back to the Big House and talk to Jason some more, see if we can figure it all out and go from there..." he tried, jerking his head towards the general direction of the Big House. Nico rolled his eyes and fell into step beside him.

"I'm sure Annabeth can just figure it out on her own" Nico said a bit acidly. He really had nothing against the blonde, except that she and Percy were clearly meant to be while Nico himself was left out with no one.

"Hey guys, where are you heading?"

Leo Valdez had caught sight of them and had darted over towards them from his position on the small porch of the Hephaestus cabin. He hooked his lean arms around the other two, grinning like an idiot. Nico attempted to shrug him off, but being shorter and smaller, ultimately failed and let it be. Percy on the other hand simply laughed and pulled the arm off, leaving Leo solely draped over Nico.

"We're going on a quest, if you must know." Nico was blunt, something that Leo appreciated but only at times. The abruptness of this statement caused him to involuntarily tighten his arm around the smaller male, heart stuttering. Nico and Percy...?

"Who else is going? Was there a prophecy?" he immediately blurted out as they continued walking towards their destination.

"Yeah, Rachel freaked Jason out this morning when her whole Oracle-business started happening... I was there too, it was hilarious! He looked like he was about to s-" the words died in his mouth upon the glare Nico sent him, and Percy coughed a bit before resuming. "Yeah, important stuff first. We're not really sure what the quest's about, but it's for the Sons of the Big Three only. I hope it's nothing too crazy... I'm so tired of crazy." Percy was honest enough that it touched Leo a bit, and that was the problem with the son of Poseidon: you just really couldn't hate him.

Leo, in fact, had been harboring growing odd feelings for the boy who currently allowed him to sling his arm around his shoulders, feelings that would ultimately bring him to the realization that he was jealous of the younger boy's attraction to Percy. Leo honestly didn't think that he could have ever been gay, not with all the women he chased after, and not after Calypso...

When he had discovered Nico's own little secret, however, he had realized that it was an actual _thing_ to like boys, and it was Nico himself that became the target of these affections. Leo had of course been exposed to homosexuality before, just never by way of someone he actually knew in his own life. Ever since his epiphany, however, he'd find any excuse to hang around Nico and spend time talking to the enigmatic Son of Hades.

Nico appreciated Leo's friendship, more than the other actually knew; at first, he thought that because of his "preferring men" Leo was making fun of him in order to taunt him and his sexuality... He was rather hostile to the Hispanic boy after that. Had he not revealed his secret, opened himself up and become vulnerable to both him and Piper that night over some really good wine?

It was in fact due to Leo's intervention that Nico was still even around as much as he was; he wanted to make good on his promise to vanish and never interact with any of them ever again once the war was over, but Leo caught hold of him and convinced him to be strong, and that vanishing was a cowardly and self-harming solution. That was what made Leo such a powerful influence in Nico's life; he didn't sugarcoat anything, and he seemed to always know when to leave the shitty jokes behind for actual advice.

Leo's own feelings began running deeper once they had grown closer, and he chose to not fight them. He had confided these emotions only to Piper, who had told him to go for it whenever he was ready. Percy was the one obstacle, however, at least in Leo's mind. Nico still carried a torch for the older boy, despite all he did to hide and deny it.

As they arrived at the Big House, they were immediately greeted by Jason and Piper who practically pulled them into the main room, where Annabeth was sitting poring over a scroll upon which she had seemingly jotted down the newest prophecy.

"The City of Light... That's Paris" she spoke without raising her eyes from the parchment, only glancing up briefly when Percy made his way over to her and snaked his arms around her waist. Leo felt Nico stiffen next to him, and he squeezed the smaller shoulder with his hand for comfort.

"There's no time limit either. It's weirdly avoiding an end date, or time when this needed to be completed by... Normally they offer _something_ at least!" she continued, pushing some of her blonde curls off her face.

"What's all this love stuff? Piper, d'you got anything?" Jason asked curiously, looking at his girlfriend adoringly. He always had a respect for her that could be seen a mile away, and Leo couldn't help but smile a bit at the two of them.

"I honestly don't know for sure," she started slowly. "All I can figure from this is that the quest might have something to do with my mom. Maybe she wants the three of you to go to Paris to do something for her?" she suggested.

"Yeah, this doesn't explain the virtue stuff though. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm not the 'one' it's talking about, eh Annabeth?" Percy joked, nibbling on his girlfriend's jawline as if to prove his point. Leo's gaze shifted to see the pained look on Nico's face, and he sighed a bit as if defeated.

"Now that that's out in the open for everyone to know..." Piper coughed awkwardly, noticing the crimson on her friend Annabeth's cheeks. "I'm pretty sure Jason isn't either... Um..." she trailed off, leaving that to percolate in everyone's brains.

"Ookay, fine, I'm the 'one' who's going to get his virtue tested. It could mean all sorts of things!" Nico spat out a bit harshly, crossing his arms and finally shrugging Leo's arm off of his shoulders.

"Yeah, well. It looks like there's gonna be a lot up to you if that's the case," Annabeth began slowly, a little awkwardly as she always was worried she'd say the wrong thing around Nico. He wasn't the nicest person around her, and that caused her to remain extra careful with him.

"You're basically supposed to sort out your, erm, love issues. In Paris. Or the world will dissolve into chaos?" Piper offered, helping her friend out a bit. Annabeth shot her a look, seemingly grateful that she didn't have to put it in those words.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Nico was putting on a brave face, but his standing so close to Leo was giving him away. Leo could feel the shorter boy shaking slightly.

"I guess meet back here after we've packed?" Percy offered, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek and pulling her along with him to help sort out whatever stuff he'd need to bring on the quest. Piper dragged Jason out of the Big House next, sending Leo a quick apologetic look and mouthing the words 'we'll talk later' when the other two weren't looking.

That left Nico and Leo alone in the Big House. It was silent for a while, Nico refusing to look at his friend and resolutely standing with his arms still crossed.

"Look, I really think this is meant to help you somehow, Nico. Don't read too much into it." Leo was telling this to the younger boy gently, not only to reassure him but to tell himself that it wasn't a big deal. In fact, it was a huge deal; Leo didn't want to think about it, though, so he put on his smile and reached a calloused hand over to place it delicately on the aviator-jacket-clad shoulder.

"It's going to be a disaster, and you know it," Nico spoke softly with a touch of bitterness. "Percy's going to be trying to set me up with every girl we come across, Jason's going to be pitying me like always, and I've apparently got the fate of the world on my shoulders according to Piper if I don't figure out my love life."

"Maybe that's the answer, then. Maybe you just have to _tell_ Percy for good what's bugging you... You know. All of it." It pained Leo immensely to say these things, but perhaps the sooner Nico got it out of his system the quicker he'd come back?

Before he got an answer, however, he felt two thin arms encircle his waist and pull him in for a hug. It was a miracle that he didn't explode into flame then and there, so he was extra careful when returning the embrace.

"Don't die out there, okay?" Leo joked, reveling in the feeling of Nico's smaller form nestled so perfectly into his own for that short moment.

"The only one who'd end up dying anywhere is Cupid, if that jackass ever comes across me again" Nico muttered, causing Leo to laugh heartily. Nico liked the feeling of his friend's warm body reverberating with that laugh; he'd never felt something that nice before.

They ran off in order to get Nico a bag packed for his journey, and upon returning they found the other two heroes kissing their girlfriends passionately on the steps of the Big House. Nico bit his lip in order to keep from staring at Percy, and Leo's eyes followed the exchange jealously.

"So, di Angelo, do I get a goodbye kiss like that or...?" he said loudly, trying to not sound eager by masking it with a joke. Nico rolled his eyes, but the desired effect was there. The other two couples pulled apart swiftly, Percy grinned at Leo's 'joke' while Piper smiled knowingly. Leo took it even further by proffering his lips and puckering up obnoxiously, causing the others to snicker as Nico swatted him away. The pink coloring to his cheeks was worth it, in Leo's eyes.

Before they geared up to shadow travel to Paris, however, Nico darted over and gave Leo a quick kiss on the cheek. The icy burn those lips left on Leo's skin was so searing that he figured it might always remain there, which was fine with him.


	2. Of Airplanes and Hotels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sons of the Big Three attempt to get to Paris and encounter some slightly odd people and circumstances along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm quite happy with the amount of follows and blooming interest that I've been getting with this story... It's light and fun to write, a change for me, which is nice. I have it all planned out rather well, but if anyone has any suggestions on what they'd like to see these boys get up to while in Paris... Please, leave me a comment!
> 
> I apologize for the lack of Leo in this chapter, and if you all consider it a lot of filler I'm sorry for that too! I needed to set up all the stuff. Leo should return next time, however, so don't despair!

_Il fuoco di vero amore_

2

It quickly became apparent that Nico couldn't shadow travel all three of them all the way to Paris, for whatever reason. Nico himself was so utterly nervous and concerned (though he wouldn't admit it aloud) that it affected his ability to successfully manipulate the shadows. He did, however, manage to get them to the JFK Airport in New York City.

They went to the counter in attempt to buy some tickets for their mission, but the desk clerk told them they already had tickets and she simply checked them in. A bit stunned, they proceeded through without checking any bags since they had few items to begin with.

Once again, they young demigods were thankful for the Mist covering up their weaponry as simple things such as a coin or a pen, as they were able to pass through the scanners without much issue. They now sat, waiting, in those rather uncomfortable airport waiting chairs before they could board their flight.

"What do you think we'll be up against? And who bought our tickets?" Percy mused aloud as quietly as he could in the people-infested area.

"Not sure, but this is getting weirder by the minute. I can't tell if the gods are playing with us or if we're legitimately doing something for the fate of the world," Jason replied, eyebrows knit together.

Nico remained quiet, lips thin and drawn together. His nerves were frayed already, but Jason brought up a good point. What if the gods were simply playing with them? What did they have to prove, after all they'd done?

The plane bound for Paris began to board, and the three demigods were shuffled into their Economy class seats at the back. Percy was looking quite nervous, and made a point to sit in the aisle seat since flying really wasn't supposed to be his thing. Jason smirked at him and took his place confidently by the window, leaving Nico in the middle. He wasn't too happy about that, as he couldn't escape physically by getting up or mentally by looking out the window. Plus, he'd have to stay awake for most of the trip to avoid falling asleep on either of them; he wasn't ready for that sort of mortification.

"You'd think that free plane tickets from the gods would be a bit higher class than this," he grumbled, frustrated at having so little space to himself.

"I'm just concerned that the three of us on this plane might attract who knows what kind of company," Percy said under his breath, scanning the crowd of people in their seats as if any second they might reveal themselves to be a monster.

"We'll keep watch then, no one sleeps all at the same time. Shifts," Jason suggested. Percy seemed to relax a bit at this, but remained apprehensive about the whole airplane thing. "Relax, I think with me here you'll be pardoned," Jason continued, noticing Percy's paler-than-normal complexion.

As they prepared for takeoff, Nico was very aware of Percy sitting beside him and just how nervous the older demigod was; similarly, Jason was as relaxed as ever, a small smile even forming on his face (at the thought of being up in his element or at Percy's discomfort Nico wasn't sure.)

He imagined what Leo might have said to the both of them, probably a witty comment about how if Percy turned any whiter he'd give Khione a run for her money, and then ask Jason if he'd snuck a pot brownie because he looked way too chill. Nico snorted, Leo's face snickering in his mind as his little imagination ran amok. Percy and Jason turned and gave him odd looks, causing him to flush.

Takeoff was a bit bumpy, and as soon as the plane accelerated to leave the solid ground Percy gripped the arm rest like a vice; the problem was, however, that Nico's own hands were on them too, and thus Percy ended up squeezing the life out of Nico's hand.

Turning a furious shade of red, Nico tried desperately to extract his hand but Percy didn't seem to care and was holding on to it as if his life depended on it. Jason was smirking at them, and Nico wanted desperately to free himself even more now in order to throttle him.

Once they had stabilized, Percy seemed to come to his senses a little and he immediately pulled his hand back into his lap with a muttered apology. Jason was still cracking up in his corner, and Nico's glare could have burned a hole through his head.

"Sweeties, anything from the trolley? Something to drink?" the hostesses were coming by with their cart filled with all sorts of beverages and those little pretzels they give you that barely fill you up. The boys looked up at them briefly, a bit uncomfortable with eye contact. They seemed weirdly chipper for the typical overworked flight attendant.

"No thanks, I'm good." Nico was not in the mood for anything whatsoever, and he refused to look at them lest they realize anything was out of place. He was probably redder than a tomato, due to the combining embarrassment and frustration he was feeling.

"Alright, what about you two? My goodness, you look like you could use something! Flying upset you a little?" one of the flight attendants said as they fawned all over Percy. He muttered something unintelligible but the attendant had already pulled his tray down and set a cup of what looked like steaming hot tea and the typical pretzels on it.

"You too, blondie, take some!" she continued, passing Jason a teacup. He was still wearing that amused look on his face as he sipped some of the tea, eyes never leaving Nico.

"Are you sure you don't want anything? Here, take this water at least!" the flight attendant had reverted her attention back to Nico. He finally looked up at them, ready to shoot down their offer once more when he was awestruck at just how pretty they were; the one who was speaking to him more so, with glittering eyes and a classical beauty far superior to what one would expect from a mere flight attendant. Her words seemed to freeze any contrary action on Nico's part, and the retorts died on his tongue as her suggestion sounded more appealing by the second.

The other flight attendant had swirling, misty eyes and dark hair tied in a braid; something about her seemed really familiar to Nico, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He came to his senses briefly, and was about to protest but she had already set the plastic cup down and moved on. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something oddly familiar about her, the both of them really... Nico shrugged it off when he realized how thirsty he was, however, and he downed the water in one long gulp.

Percy and Jason must have been thirsty also, since when he looked down their plastic mugs were empty and they were chowing down on the pretzels.

"I'm going to listen to music, so don't bother me," he deadpanned, slipping the headphones provided for him over his ears. Before he switched anything on, however, he caught Percy and Jason's replies and was more than a little confused by them.

"Whatever you say, Nico! If you need anything just ask," Jason said softly, and he was met by an odd look from the son of Hades.

"Music really is great, Nico... You're so cultured..." Percy trailed off, eyes looking a little droopy as he slumped over to take a nap. Nico's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, but he had already pressed play on the screen in front of him and before he could dwell too much on anything he was getting lost in the guitars and drum rhythms, his own eyes feeling heavy...

In the back of the plane, Aphrodite and Hecate had to stifle their giggles over the cart filled with soft drinks and coffee.

x.X.x.X.x.X.x

When Nico awoke, he nearly had a heart attack.

Percy and Jason had lifted up both of the armrests and had their arms draped across him, trying desperately (in their sleep) to pull him into their arms it seemed. Percy's head was nestled into the crook of Nico's neck, while Jason's was lying on top of his dark hair.

Nico took a couple of steadying breaths. How in Hades did this even happen? Did one of the other passengers pull a prank on them while they were asleep? Or better yet, was this Jason or Percy's idea of a prank? Whatever the reason, it was _so_ not funny. Nico was having a hard time controlling his emotions as well, _Percy_ was cuddling into him and another rather good looking male who _knew_ how he felt about guys was doing the same.

Taking great care, he nudged Jason off of him enough for his head to roll over onto the side wall of the plane; this action dislodged his arm from around Nico a bit as well, which gave him enough wiggle room to shrug it off.

It was harder for Nico to push Percy off of him, however. Partly because due to all the shuffling, Percy had snaked both arms around Nico's waist and settled further into his smaller body, and partly because Nico was somewhat okay with that.

He steeled himself, imagining the look on Annabeth's face if she were to see this followed by how hard Leo would be laughing at him for the same reasons. For some strange motive, Nico's gut twisted unpleasantly at the thought of Leo coming across this scene, and he wasn't sure why. His mind was a little fuzzy, due to his nap perhaps.

He placed his hands gently on both of Percy's, pulling them from around his waist and setting them in his lap. He then grabbed Percy's head and tilted it back into his own seat, letting out a deep breath as he had accomplished everything. No more sleeping for Nico: he would remain alert so that none of these shenanigans would occur again.

Soon after, however, Jason woke up and stretched a bit in place. His eyes settled on Nico, who shot him a glare.

"If that was your idea of a joke, it was seriously uncool," he snapped. Jason looked sincerely confused and a little... hurt?

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I really didn't need you guys to be all over me in my sleep. You know how I feel about... things. That made me really uncomfortable," he hissed, eyes shifting to the still sleeping form of Percy on his other side.

"I'm still lost, but I'm sorry to have upset you. Really... Gods, I'm such an idiot!" Jason blurted out that last bit, causing Nico to squint at him a bit oddly. What was that about?

He ran his fingers through his dark shaggy hair, sighing a bit. He didn't notice Jason bite his lip and turn away as he observed this action.

x.X.x.X.x.X.x

When they all arrived in Paris, Nico shook Percy awake rather aggressively. He had slept for the whole trip, so the moment of their arrival came as a surprise to him as he was jolted out of his slumber.

"Merci for choosing Air France! Have a lovely stay in Paris!" the gorgeous flight attendant said to them as they passed her on their way to the exit. She had that glint in her eye again, one that Nico couldn't quite put his finger on.

"No monsters the whole way? I'm impressed!" Percy exclaimed as they descended from the plane and made their way into the airport. The three demigods were immediately overwhelmed by the chillier weather of Paris which was somewhat unexpected.

They took a taxi to the center of the city where they were left off at the Notre Dame cathedral; having no clue where to start, Percy had picked the first landmark they all knew of and told the driver to take them there.

"We should probably get a hotel somewhere... We have no idea how long this quest will take," Jason suggested, and Nico nodded at him.

"Where should we go?" Nico asked, and that weird look came across Jason's face again.

"Wherever you want, it's all up to you!" he replied, cheeks flushing a light shade of pink for some reason.

"Yeah, you decide Nico!" Percy added, looking at him with hopeful eyes that caused Nico's heart to stutter a bit.

"Preferably somewhere off the map, nowhere too crowded where monsters can find us," he stammered, not used to this sort of devoted attention. Especially not from these two, he thought, not quite sure what to make of it.

"That's an excellent idea!" Percy exclaimed, hooking his arm through Nico's as if about to lead him to such a place in that moment. Jason followed suit, linking his arm through Nico's other arm before the younger demigod could even process what was going on.

"I've got just the place, if you'd follow me," a cool voice interrupted them and Nico nearly had a heart attack.

A man with sandy blonde hair and a sunny complexion was standing right across from them, appearing as if a ray of sunlight had caught their eye and blinded them momentarily before shifting back into focus.

"Lord Apollo," Nico gritted his teeth, seemingly blaming the newly-materialized god for all the weirdness going on around him. Hell, he had to blame _someone._

"Hello, young heroes! Happy to see me? Of course you are," he began. "If you'd just follow me this way, I'll take you to where you'll be staying while here in Paris! Always one of my favorites, the City of Light..." Apollo trailed off, walking off towards one of the bridges that led away from the cathedral. Percy and Jason followed him without question, completely trusting. Nico was basically being dragged along like a sack of meat, sputtering protests as he went.

They barely walked a few steps down past the bridge before they hit the sidewalk of one of the side streets near the cathedral; almost as soon as they began walking on the smooth stone did they come to a halt, however. It was a tiny little hotel, barely even distinguished as such by a wrought-iron sign dangling from the side of the building. The place was called _Hotel Esmeralda_. It looked to be about three or four stories high, one of those skinny buildings sandwiched between a few others around it of similar structure.

It was painted a simple white, with a mere three set of smallish windows going across each floor specifying how large in dimension the place was. Each window had a black wrought-iron half-balcony covering the bottom of it, giving it some charm on the exterior. If Nico squinted hard enough, he could see the sign on the outside flicker a bit and the letters re-arranged themselves to their Greek counterparts of the same name.

Apollo cheerfully held the door open for them as they filed in, and Nico had to admit that the place had its fair degree of charm on the inside as well. While nothing special on the outside, the downstairs lobby space was small but warm and accommodating, full of reds and blacks covering the ornate gothic-era furniture and a few plants were set tastefully in the corners here and there. The couch and some of the chairs were covered in a velvety blood red fabric, accentuated by the dark black wooden coffee table sitting across from it.

A little further in was the check-in desk, and an old satyr sat behind it absently chewing on a piece of grass. The boys walked up to the desk at Apollo's encouragement.

" _Ah, me oui_! The young heroes, but of course!" the satyr seemed to brighten as he saw them. "It is a grand honor to host such noble demigods in my humble hotel. I shall give you the discount price!" he said, his spectacles flying off his nose in excitement.

"Er... yes! Thank you! How much? We're not sure how long we'll be staying..." Jason began, pulling out his money pouch and counting out a few golden coins preemptively.

"Bah, we shall go by week then! For now, pay me ten drachma a night, acceptable?" the satyr specified, and Nico's brow furrowed a bit as he too began to count out the coins. They then had to help Jason transfer his currency into the correct amount for the satyr to accept before they were given their room keys.

"This place is completely monster-proof, and it's been around a long time. You'll be able to iris-message directly from your rooms! Plus it's named after Esmeralda, now _she_ was a fun little thing... Erm. That is. Enjoy yourselves, and don't forget to have fun!" Apollo ranted to them as they ascended the dark wooden stairs towards their rooms.

"You're treating this less like a quest and more like a vacation," Percy quipped, stopping in front of room 2 where his own key told him to go. Apollo chuckled, waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh, but think of it as both! You three especially deserve some time to work out your issues... Alone... As a group... Whatever!" he spoke enigmatically, sending Nico a pointed look that caused him to get a bit pink in the face.

"What the hell are we even doing here? We don't even know our purpose! Are we looking for something?" Nico bursted out, exasperated. Apollo tutted before crossing his arms in a playful stance.

"Now, Nico, don't get your undies in a twist... yet. If you just let things run their course, you will know how you have to proceed on this quest. What your end result comes out to be... Well, that's up to _you._ But if you make the right choices, you just may succeed!" Apollo wasn't being helpful at all, and even the lights flickered angrily in agreement.

"Ah, I've said too much perhaps? Well, that'll be my sign to go. This is _her_ place after all..."

"Whose? This hotel?" Jason tried, but to no avail.

"Until next time! We're rooting for you!" Apollo said, and the three demigods unwillingly turned their heads away as a blinding flash of light took their answers from them as well as the lord Apollo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> Did you enjoy the little cameo made by the flight attendants/hostesses? I certainly did.
> 
> The Hotel Esmeralda is a real place! Google it for pictures, they really help at rendering the image in your heads...
> 
> I really do appreciate comments, please leave one and tell me what you think! :)
> 
> x


	3. A Better Understanding & Shower Mishaps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than most, but I'm really busy this week and hope to churn out a few more when the time comes! Plus I love leaving things off where they are best "cliffhanger-y" if you will, and this chapter was certainly fun. Hope you enjoyed, and seriously: if you guys have any suggestions about what the three boys can get up to while in Paris, leave me a comment and I'll work it in as best I can! :)

_Il fuoco di vero amore_

3

Leo Valdez was having a hard time keeping his fire in check. Seriously, this was starting to become a menace to his health. By 'this' of course he meant the current target for his affections, Nico di Angelo. He was pacing back and forth in the Hephaestus cabin, grimacing a bit as he imagined the younger demigod in the presence of Percy, getting him all to himself for gods-knew how long...

"Argh!" Leo exclaimed suddenly, running his hands through his dark brown curls and startling another small Hephaestus camper who was tinkering with something nearby.

"Really Leo, you couldn't be any more obvious."

Piper McLean stood in the doorway, smirking at him. She motioned for him to come towards her, and Leo had a feeling that she of all people would be the best person to ask for help on this matter.

"Pipes, I swear to you I'm going to explode. I haven't been able to sit still and work on anything since they left, I'm going out of my mind!" he exploded once they were outside, walking towards the Athena cabin.

"Since when have you been able to sit still?" Piper asked back playfully, to which Leo replied by making a face. "Let's just get Annabeth and we can talk."

"How's she going to help? She doesn't even know about... Well, me." Leo hadn't told Annabeth of his feelings mostly out of embarrassment, but partly because he felt she didn't really need to know. She had Percy, she was busy, and Leo was somewhat afraid of her. The subject just never came up, really.

Piper didn't answer him, however, making her way over to the cabin entrance where Annabeth sat, apparently waiting for them. She rose to meet them, and simply nodded at Leo. She had a weird look on her face, as if she were reluctantly going along with something but only because she had to.

"Nice to see you too, Annabeth," Leo muttered, and she rolled her eyes at him as they walked a bit out of the way towards the beginning of the woods.

"Leo, just hear us out. We haven't been completely honest with you... Or the boys," Piper began, sitting cross legged on the grass. Annabeth followed suit, but Leo was now on alert.

"What do you mean? What do you guys know?" he pouted. Piper patted the ground next to her, and Leo sat down a bit warily.

"We knew more about the quest than we let on. There was a lot that we were able to interpret but purposefully left out of the discussion, because, well..." Annabeth started, trailing off and motioning for Piper to continue. Her eyes said something like _All yours, beauty queen._ Piper placed her hand over her forehead somewhat embarrassedly before speaking.

"My mom's the one who set up this quest. She came to Annabeth and I and explained some things... Well, she more like told us what was going to happen. She said that if the three 'Sons of the Big Three' didn't work out their sexual tension, things could get messy," Piper made air quotes as she explained, looking rather annoyed.

"Aphrodite and another goddess, Hecate if my theory is correct, crafted this prophecy and sent the three of them off on this quest," Annabeth interjected.

Leo's insides froze, which was difficult for him since he ran on fire; Nico would be working out his... sexual tension... with the other two? With _Percy_? Despite his chilly insides, Leo's fingers clenched and flames burst into life across his lithe digits. Annabeth raised her eyebrows, obviously not expecting this reaction.

"Why'd Aphrodite tell you all of this?" he managed to voice the question through gritted teeth. Piper fidgeted with one of her feathers, also looking annoyed.

"She basically came to ask Annabeth and my permission to manipulate our boyfriends into working out this tension she's been talking about... Well, she more like told us she was going to do it, but at least we were warned in advance. She wouldn't just do something like that to Jason without telling me," Piper said, a dark look coming over her eyes and her voice fluttering a bit as if she was trying to charmspeak her own mother somehow, if the goddess was listening (and she probably was.)

"But Nico!" Leo exclaimed, frustrated. "If she does that to them, Nico... and Percy..." he trailed off, the anger and jealousy in him boiling over a bit further than he was prepared for. Too late, he saw Annabeth's brow furrow.

"What about Percy?" she asked, steely gray eyes hard.

"Um... Well... If you hadn't figured it out already, Nico's kind of got a huge thing for him." Leo paused, then took a breath. "And I've got a huge thing for Nico," he said in a smaller voice. Annabeth's eyes were as round as saucers at this point, and Piper had taken to chewing on the end of her braid nervously.

"Now the prophecy makes more sense!" was Annabeth's reaction, which wasn't exactly what Leo was expecting. "Look, it said that he'd be tested and his virtue would be compromised... Nico's going to have to figure out how he feels about Percy and Jason too, I guess, because Aphrodite is going to drug them! _They're_ going to be the ones testing _Nico_... Oh. Ohhh."

Annabeth looked like she was going to be sick.

"This means if Nico succumbs to whatever spell my mom casts on Percy, or Jason for that matter... They probably will stay that way. And we lose our boyfriends." Piper's eyes now glinted with a newfound worry and desperation, and she reached out to grab Leo's arm (which was still smoking a bit.)

"What do you want _me_ to do about it?" he stammered, looking from Piper's wild eyes to Annabeth's. She crossed her arms before standing up, pulling Leo by his other arm to his feet before she and Piper began dragging him back to the cabins.

"Pack your bags, girls, we've got a trip to take. We're going to use your little crush to our advantage. Leo, we're going to make Nico fall in love with you."

x.X.x.X.x.X.x

Nico looked around at his hotel room and tried not to let how impressed he was show on his face. It was completely covered in the same velvet red color on the sofa downstairs; everything, including part of the wall behind the headboard of the bed as if it were a sort of wallpaper. The wall next to it was covered in large uneven stone, and upon the wall itself hung a large mirror in the shape of a sun. Two lamps stuck out from the sides of the wall behind the bed, as well, and the bed itself was queen-sized and looked quite comfortable.

He set his bag down in an armchair right by the window, which overlooked the street and gave a clear view of the Notre Dame cathedral not too far away from the hotel itself. He had to admit, this was a pretty nice place. He was jolted out of his thoughts by a knock on his door, and he briskly walked over to open it.

It was Jason, looking somewhat anxious about something. Nico raised his eyebrows as if saying _How can I help you?_

"Nico, how do you like the room?" Jason blurted out, seemingly awkward and twitchier than he normally was around him. Nico shifted his eyes to the side out of confusion and overall a bit weirded out by the question.

"It's fine. Jason, are you okay?" he asked cautiously.

"Me? Yeah, great! Totally perfect..." he muttered, the words sounding a bit strange coming from his lips. It suddenly dawned on Nico what could be bothering his friend, and he let out a sigh.

"Listen, you don't have to worry about me. Percy has Annabeth, I'm not going to jeopardize that for anything. I'm not selfish," he said softly. "Thank you for keeping it secret, it means a lot to me," he added, noticing the color rise to Jason's cheeks as he said this.

"Oh, um. Good to know. I guess I was a little worried," Jason seemed to be coming to terms with his own concerns there in the moment, as it must have dawned upon him that he was a bit worried about this quest's effect on Nico's feelings for Percy. Nico gave him a small nod.

"Okay. I'm going to take a shower now, and then we can meet and talk about everything we plan to do for the first part of this quest?" Nico offered, and something odd happened. Upon hearing the word 'shower' Jason turned scarlet and seemed to fall into a trance as if he were... fantasizing about something? Nico waved his hand in front of Jason's face, trying to snap him out of it.

"Mm... Yeah! Sounds... lovely..." Jason replied, swaying a bit. Nico gave him another curt nod before shutting the door in his face, chalking it all up to jet lag.

He entered the small bathroom adjacent to the bedroom and started running the water, quickly stripping out of his clothing in order to hop under the stream of heated water. He knew these old hotels would probably not have warm water for long, so he made the best of what he could get.

As he ran soap through his hair and over his body, weary from travel, he pondered Jason's odd behavior earlier and supposed that maybe it had something more to do with the quest than simply the journey itself... Yet just as these thoughts began to take shape in his mind, he forgot them as if they melted from his mind and evaporated with the steam circling him in the shower.

When he had finished, he shut off the water and pulled a towel from the rack immediately next to him; as he toweled off his hair a bit, he heard something that caused him to freeze. _Someone was in his room._

Quickly wrapping the towel around his waist, he was thankful that his sword was still attached to his belt which had been removed in the bathroom. Unsheathing it as silently as possible, he braced himself to enter the room and skewer whatever intruder had managed to get in...

Whirling out from the bathroom, he nearly had a heart attack as he came face to face with Percy, looking guilty as he held up Nico's bag as he raised his hands in the air. Nico realized another fault of these old hotels: you had to actually lock your own door, or anyone could come and go as they pleased. Nico had of course forgotten to do so, since Jason was being a bit weird earlier.

"Percy? What in Hades are you doing?" Nico was breathing heavily, lowering his sword instantly. "I almost made you into a sea-flavored shish kebab," he deadpanned. Percy had the decency to look a bit more guilty, keeping his eyes fixed sheepishly into Nico's.

"I was looking for some spare deodorant, actually. Um..." his eyes had flicked downwards and Nico was mortified to realize he was only wearing a towel. He flailed a bit for a second, looking for something, anything to cover himself with before slipping on the pool of water collecting at his feet.

Cursing in Ancient Greek, he fell forwards and luckily enough landed on something soft. His sword had flown out of his hand and so he didn't impale himself, but when he opened his eyes he wished that he had. Percy had lunged to catch him as he fell, and in doing so crashed to the floor with him in a tangle of limbs.

Nico willed his heartbeat to slow down, but to no avail. Percy was looking at him with those sea-green eyes in a way that he had never done so before, and Nico was pretty sure he looked more purple than red so hard was he blushing.

"Um, can we get up now?" he managed to gasp out after a moment of being lost in the ocean of Percy's eyes; he was increasingly aware of the rather thin towel that was the only thing separating him from being totally nude in front of _Percy_ and he was about to hyperventilate.

"Why? It's kind of exciting to be like this..." Percy had smirked at him, arms tightening a bit around Nico's waist. The son of Hades couldn't believe his ears, and he was torn between struggling and remaining in Percy's arms forever. _Something's not right!_ his consciousness yelled at him, but his body wouldn't react.

This had to do with the quest... Percy was just teasing him, this was all some cruel joke... Then why was he slowly running his hands along Nico's skin like that? He might really be interested in something, but no, there's Annabeth...

Nico's thoughts were in a whirl, his breathing heavy as he remained frozen on top of Percy Jackson in naught but a towel.

Just as Percy seemed to take his silence as a go ahead, the door slammed open behind them to reveal Jason looking down on them with... anger in his eyes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh man, hope you guys liked it! Once again, leave me a review and I'll give you all hugs and stuff. Reviews make my day/give me incentive to write!
> 
> xx


	4. Love Locks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, here's a slightly longer chapter for ya! At least, compared to the last one lol. Once again sorry for the lack of Leo, though he is mentioned a few times directly and indirectly...
> 
> I promise, the Valdangelo will come! :)

_Il fuoco di vero amore_

4

Nico immediately scrambled to get up, but Percy's stronger grip forced him to remain in place. The sea-green eyes flashed a challenge towards Jason, as if daring him to do something about the situation. Nico was pretty much in a state of shock, breathing rapidly as Percy lazily ran his hands along the son of Hades' cool skin.

"What is going on?" Jason asked, voice strained, after a few moments of staring.

"You gonna stand there forever or close the door? It's getting chilly in here and I'm warming Nico up all by myself," Percy replied with a slow purr, which somehow sparked a change in Jason's shocked-or-enraged demeanor, and he silently closed the door before making his way over to the pile of boys.

Nico half expected him to help him up, thought his reaction was all part of a ruse to help Nico out of this situation without alerting Percy... Or maybe he was upset because he was supposedly the one who knew Nico's secret, and he figured Percy was toying with Nico's feelings as some cruel joke? In fact, Nico still wasn't sure what had gotten in to the older boy, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.

_Shut up, of course you do!_ his inner self chastised, chomping at the bit as the events seemed to unfold as if planned to go this way. Nico's eyes widened as Percy seemed to make eye contact with Jason from behind him, and suddenly pushed him into a sitting position to where Nico was straddling the older demigod. He felt Jason's presence behind him, electric; those muscular arms encircled him completely and Nico forgot how to breathe.

He was still in just a towel. Jason Grace was embracing him. He was straddling Percy Jackson.

That was all it took for Nico's brain to snap into gut reaction mode, and he quickly darkened the room and used the shadows he summoned out of sheer overwhelmed feelings to transport himself back into the bathroom where his old clothes lay scattered on the floor. Breathing heavily, he pulled them on with shaking fingers before replaying the events in his head, trying to understand.

He heard no sound from the other room, which was odd. Bracing himself, he opened the bathroom door and found Percy and Jason sitting casually in an armchair and on the bed shuffling through euros and some maps.

"There you are, Nico! Hurry up, we wanted to go do some sightseeing in order to get a better idea of what to find on this quest," Percy called out with a bright smile.

Nico's eyes narrowed significantly, causing Jason to frown at Percy. If things were normal, Nico would have thought this reaction would have stemmed from Jason's knowledge of his confused feelings for Percy, and that such a smile directed his way was painful for him.

However, things were not normal. Nico still felt Percy's hands all over his skin, Jason's warm breath inching towards the back of his neck, the swirling depths of Percy's eyes pulling him in like a whirlpool... He couldn't have imagined all of that?

He flicked his eyes over to where his sword lay, exactly where it had landed when he fell on Percy. He walked over to it, trying to act casual, and picked it up before strapping it to his side. _Not my imagination. Real._

x.X.x.X.x.X.x

They walked about the streets of Paris with caution, as they were once again in the old world and many more unstable dangers could be lurking around than they were used to. Their first stop of course was the Eiffel Tower, since Percy had insisted. They found nothing useful there except for a happy couple of newly engaged individuals who were so lovey-dovey that Nico wanted to vomit.

"Paris really is the city of love," Jason remarked incredulously as he counted the numerous couples handholding and smooching in the area. "We must look like a bunch of freaks."

"Or a really good-looking gay threesome," Percy quipped, flashing a wide grin. Nico immediately turned beet red and swatted him while Jason rolled his eyes. Nico noticed, however, that Percy seemed almost shocked himself that he had said something like that.

"This quest has a lot of love references in it... Where in Paris is love the strongest theme?" Nico muttered, glaring at a happy couple of boys that seemed to be playfully playing footsie at a nearby cafe.

They decided to follow a few of the more touristy couples around and about the city, since they were probably there for a romantic vacation of some sort and were going to make stops at all the cliche places.

As they walked through the Parisian streets, Nico couldn't help but admire the city some more as the architecture and aesthetic of the city gave off this clean, beautiful vibe while in the undertones there was something grungy and gritty coexisting beneath the surface.

They continued along the Seine river it seemed for a while, following hordes of couples loaded down with backpacks and sturdy walking shoes. Eventually they came to a large bridge, where a rather large amount of people were gathered taking pictures. The bridge seemed to be covered in something, as if it were a large hunk of metal rather than a normal perforated structure.

"I think we hit the jackpot," Jason remarked finally before pointing ahead once they got close enough to see it.

The bridge was covered in thousands upon thousands of tiny padlocks, so much so that they merged together to form a solid wall of metal. A few little street vendors with carts full of locks were selling them here and there along the bridge. Couples seemed to be snapping them in place after writing their initials on the trinkets, and then throwing the key into the Seine behind them after a kiss while someone else either filmed it or photographed the experience.

"Love locks, of course! A symbol of eternal love in the City of Love," Nico mused aloud, then drily finishing with "except when the city deems the locks as vandalism and tears them off."

"Why would they do that? I think it's a beautiful idea," Jason said, his voice a bit thick.

"Because they damage the integrity of the bridge, doofus. Love is a burden, dragging down more than you think," he said bitterly. One of the street vendors, a middle aged man with a full beard and pot belly seemed to overhear him before he tutted and rolled his cart over to the three demigods.

"Pah! Silly American, you do not understand true love. You want to lock it in place forever with your boyfriend, yes?" he asked cheerily, gesturing between him and Jason. Nico immediately became flustered.

"He's not my... We're not..." he sputtered.

"Ah but of course, you are with the other dark haired one! Very handsome couple, _oui_!" the vendor continued, unfazed.

"No! No way! I mean..." Nico's outburst drew Percy's eyes to him, and they seemed genuinely hurt by his dismissal.

"Oh _non non_! How could I be _zees_ blind! You are ze _trio_ , oui?" the man said, apologetic but with a twinkle in his eye. Nico's face turned an even deeper shade of red, and before he could protest again the man seemed to take his coloring as an answer.

"Take the lock, and keep your love in Paris forever more! Love burns eternal, lock _zees_ flame in place!" the vendor said, before carting off without even asking for payment. Nico was startled, but clutched the cool metal in his hand skeptically. It was a simple silver lock, the key hanging out of it innocuously.

"Well, Nico? You gonna do this or what?" Percy's voice pulled him out of his stupor, and he noticed that the older boy was serious.

"Uh..." was all he managed to stammer before Jason placed his hand over Nico's and helped him turn the key. Percy guided the younger demigod to a spot in the wall of locks where they all three clicked the lock into place.

"It's the perfect representation of us. Over the water, suspended in the sky, made out of the earth and metal. Nico, we just locked your little metal heart into us forever!" Percy said, the seriousness leaving his voice at the last minute and causing Nico to glare at him over his blush.

_Love is a burden, dragging me down,_ he couldn't help but remember this and feel a heavy heart. None of this was right. The man said for him to feel the fire of eternal love as he clicked the lock in place forever, but all he had felt was a bit annoyed and embarrassed. And confused, _way_ confused over his two older friends' behaviors.

"You must exchange the kiss now, yes? And toss the key!" Nico nearly had a stroke as the vendor had returned from his abrupt departure with a disposable camera and motioning for the boys to get closer around their newly placed lock. Nico protested, but two against one was hard to beat out.

Jason and Percy wrapped their arms around him and squashed his smaller form in between them, grinning for the camera which snapped despite Nico's grumpy expression. A bunch of other tourists were smiling and pointing at them, making all sorts of crazy assumptions no doubt. Nico wanted the earth to swallow him up, but as he was standing over water right now that was impossible. _I'd just get swallowed by water... Oh Gods._ The thought had entered his mind so suddenly and horribly he decided to make eye contact with Percy, the water demigod... He was grinning like an idiot, and Nico was so glad he wasn't telepathic.

"Now kees!" the vendor shouted, and it was echoed by some other bystanders who were watching the abnormal 'triad' performing this supposed act of true love. Nico'd mouth went dry, and suddenly he felt two pairs of lips on both of his cheeks. They kissed him tenderly, surprising him, and the snap of the camera made sure that the moment was captured. Percy then took the key from Nico's clammy hand and tossed it over his shoulder where it landed with a suspiciously loud PLONK in the Seine.

They were met with a few cheers and wolf-whistles, but Nico pulled himself free of the other two before storming off the Pont des Arts with Jason and Percy hot on his heels; Jason had grabbed the camera from the vendor on their way after him.

"Guys, that was NOT funny. You need to stop treating this like a game, okay? I know the prophecy was about me and something about love, but you don't need to make fun of it like this... Jason, you know how hard it is for me to do this." Nico's little outburst occurred immediately after they had cleared the area a bit, with his whirling around to face the both of them so suddenly that they nearly ran into him.

"What do you mean, Jason knows?" Percy suddenly interjected, looking even more incensed than Jason had when he had walked in on their compromising position earlier in the hotel room.

"... I'm gay." Nico decided to be blunt, no excuse hiding it any longer as Percy obviously knew or had guessed, deciding to tease him about it. Either that, or he was an idiot and needed to know where to back off since Nico wasn't the best on to joke around with in any way like Percy had been in the past few hours.

"You are?" Percy seemed genuinely incredulous, before something overcame him a second later and his eyes clouded over with something new. "That suits me just fine," he said in a softer voice, before his hands reached out and tangled themselves firmly in Nico's hair and on his cheeks as he pulled the younger boy in for a deep kiss.

He tasted like salt water, just what Nico always imagined. He was in shock, still not comprehending what was happening save that _Percy Jackson was kissing him_ and it was wonderful... But it wasn't right. He managed to break away, gasping and flushed, before stumbling a bit and landing back into Jason.

"What the fu-" before he could scream obscenities at Percy, however, Jason had twisted Nico's smaller form around slightly and crashed his own lips electrically onto the son of Hades'. Nico let out a muffled sound of surprise before he pushed Jason away too.

"I'm okay with this too," Jason said by way of explanation, and Percy didn't react save but allowing a large grin to spread on his face as the two older demigods looked at Nico.

"Whoa, guys. I'm serious," Nico began, heart beating so frantically he feared it'd explode out of his chest. "Stop making fun of me, we have a quest to worry about... You don't know how much this messes with me," he said honestly. He noticed passersby giving them concerned and curious stares, but he ignored that worry for now.

"We're being serious, Nico. We want you!" the other two said in unison, and Nico took that moment to turn and run at top speed, heart thundering in his chest.

_I need to talk to Leo. He'll know what to do, he'll know how to help me..._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay there we go!
> 
> The love locks bridge is of course a real place, and a real tradition there! Do you guys think the locks are considered vandalism?
> 
> Leave me a review telling me what you thought, they really do help me stay inspired! :)
> 
> Until next chapter!
> 
> x


	5. Rainbows and Bedrooms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo and Nico both experience hormones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS here we are.
> 
> Sorry this took so goddamn long, and it’s way short. I have tests and research papers and finals consuming my life, but never fear! Many plans for future wonderful things (including my finishing this fic!) lie on the horizon that is the month of May!
> 
> Enjoy the Valdangelo moments as a treat ;)

_Il fuoco di vero amore_

5

"I was wrong, Gods... So wrong."

Leo's deep brown eyes focused in on the agitated features of the boy in front of him; his black hair flopping into his eyes covered the gaze from Leo's, but he imagined Nico's expression to be one of pain.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm here for you, just like always," Leo offered, gently inching slightly closer to the younger boy. Nico finally looked up and met his gaze, fierce.

"That's exactly it, Valdez. You've always been there, always known just what stupid-ass joke to make when I needed it, known when to keep your mouth shut and listen, tried your hardest to 'fix' me," Nico spat, not unkindly though. Leo was taken aback.

Nothing around him mattered, then, as Nico suddenly lurched forward and grabbed the front of Leo's plain white shirt before pulling him in roughly for a kiss.

"I guess you did fix me, because it's only you, now..." Nico whispered into Leo's lips before nipping forward to capture Leo's bottom lip in his teeth. Leo groaned, wrapping his arms around Nico and lifting him into his lap where he now perched, perfectly undulating and whimpering against him. His hands were now fisting themselves into Leo's curls, and he leaned forward more in order to shift his face to the side before suckling a bit on the tanned skin.

 _This is my Elysium,_ Leo thought to himself as he let out a deep groan; Nico's eyes flashed mischievously while he moved just the right way against the place where their hips were joined...

"Leo," he moaned, voice raspy. "Leo! Oh... Le-Valdez!"

"VALDEZ!"

Leo jerked awake, eyes blurry and adjusting to focus on the blonde curls framing Annabeth's face. She had one eyebrow raised, gray eyes flicking briefly to the raised area of his groin under his blanket.

He yelped, realizing that he was buckled in to his seat on the airplane. Piper was on the other side of him, also smirking and failing to be subtle about it. He muttered a curse at both of them before adjusting himself unceremoniously and sitting up. Many of his joints popped as he did this, and he let out a soft noise of pain.

"You really need to keep your wet dreams to yourself. I'm sure the old lady with the hearing aids could hear you groaning," Annabeth chastised, though her eyes were playful.

"Shut up, how much longer are we gonna be stuck here?" Leo grumbled. He was embarrassed to have been caught at such a vulnerable and awkward moment, yet disappointed that it had only been just a dream. The real Nico might not be so receptive to anything he tried to tell him of the sort, and Leo knew it.

Being on airplanes didn't really bother Leo. Heck, he had built and operated a flying warship across the Atlantic and back, with much heavier casualties than normal planes would ever see in their time in the air. However, being in such a populated and cramped cabin didn't help his ADHD, and he immediately found himself tapping out a rhythm on the table tray in front of him (which he kept opening and closing back and forth) while mulling things over. Also, if he had continued with that dream, who knows if he'd have burst into flames due to the emotions he was feeling.

Flushing a bit at the images of Nico that flashed through his mind, he unbuckled his seat belt and climbed over Piper in order to head for the bathroom. Thankfully it was open, and he immediately secluded himself in there with a click of the lock. The lights turned from dim to bright as they do in airplane bathrooms, and he took a look at himself in the mirror. The dark circles and taut skin that came with airplane travel had emerged, and he sighed a bit.

Being a 'fire kid' he was naturally warm, which lead to dryer skin much quicker than most. Up in the pressurized cabin, moisture was hard to come by. He knew that bursting into flames would probably be the worst possible thing for him to do at any given time, so he turned on the tap water. He splashed some of the cool liquid on his face, reinvigorated a bit.

Feeling dangerous, as he sometimes did, he lit the tip of his right index finger on fire and watched it burn, letting go a bit in the process. He kept it close to the running water, of course, just in case he needed a quick put-out. For about a minute or so, he enjoyed the flicker of the flame and the interesting contrasts it had while running next to the flow of the water.

What he didn't expect, however, was Nico's face to pop up to him on the mirror.

 _Okay, Valdez. You're_ really _losing it now... You've got it_ that _bad?_

"Leo!" Nico spoke as if panicked, looking over his shoulder and then quickly back. He seemed wildly concerned about something, which shook Leo a bit more out of his stupor.

"Is this an Iris Message?" Leo asked, a bit dumbfounded. Did the goddess send her services to airplanes too?

"Yes, you idiot! I've been trying to find you for a while now, you need to help me... Percy and Jason are..." he paused, as if searching for the right words. "They want me."

Leo's heart thudded in his chest a little faster at this statement. Nico's words only served to confirm Annabeth and Piper's theories, which made things look a bit less hopeful for Leo. Nico was waiting for an answer, advice; how to respond?

"Do you want them?" Leo wanted to curse, but the words had left his lips before he could think much of it.

"What? Gods, Leo, what kind of a question is that? We're supposed to be focusing on the quest... And they..." Nico blushed, though he didn't look happy about his skin betraying him like that. Leo found the action adorable, and had to suppress a smile.

"Maybe that's just it, Nico," Leo offered. "Maybe you need to figure out how _you_ feel before you can figure out the quest. You remember what the prophecy said. This might have something to do with all of it," he said, trying his hardest to keep things as vague as possible as much as he wanted to blurt out his ideas then and there. This was Nico's quest, his path of self discovery, and if Leo helped him too much he'd have Aphrodite on his back.

"Leo, thanks for nothing," Nico spat before his eyes went wide. "They're close, I can feel it. I can't avoid them forever, that much is true... But you know how I feel about... About..." he stuttered, cursing viciously in ancient greek. "Imagine the person you've wanted the most suddenly offering themselves to you in every way you could ever imagine?" Nico said softly.

"Believe me, I have," Leo found himself saying after a brief pause. His dream was all too fresh in his mind, and Nico looked at him with concern. He opened his mouth as if to say something before the connection fogged up.

"Leo... I gotta go. I'll see you soon, I hope." Nico then waved his hand and the Iris-Message was terminated. Leo realized that it was due to his own fire and the small flecks of water spraying across his light that the rainbow had even managed to form, and so he bitterly drowned his flames.

x.X.x.X.x.X.x

Nico scrambled to his feet, frustrated that it had taken him so long to successfully get in contact with Leo. He had found a rainbow in a rather open area, a small fountain that cast off sprays of water from the carved metal maw of a fish. Nico grimaced as he realized that this symbol of the ocean would be staring at him the whole time he conversed, and tried to ignore it the best he could.

It had taken him quite a while to get through, and when he finally did he wondered it it had been worth it. Leo's advice was sound, Nico just didn't want to admit it to himself.

"There you are, di Angelo!" an all too familiar voice called out to him. Before he could whirl around and make for the shadows, strong arms were wrapped around him and he was hauled into Jason's grasp. He was thrown over the Roman demigod's shoulder; Percy grinned up at him.

"Put me down, you _figli di puttan-"_ Nico began, thrashing but to no avail as Jason was much stronger.

"We need to have a little chat, I think, so I'm glad you picked a spot for us to find you that was so close to our hotel!" Percy offered, smiling.

"So considerate, that's what we like about you!" Jason echoed as he began walking. No one gave them much attention as he struggled, perhaps because the stereotypes of Parisian snobbishness were true.

"Come on, Nico! We just have to have this talk. You'll enjoy it!" Percy said with a wink that made Nico's insides melt a little. His resolve to fight until he couldn't flared up in him, however, and he plotted to make his move when he reached the hotel.

They crossed the small bridge and made their way back over to the entrance; upon stepping inside, the old satyr behind the counter barely raised his head in greeting.

"Ah, l'amour," he mumbled to himself with a small smile on his face. Nico sputtered a bit, Jason not giving him time to shout something back to the old goat as they were already bounding up the stairs. Percy kicked the door open after unlocking it, and Jason made a few more steps before tossing Nico onto his bed. Percy was upon him before he had a chance to draw his sword, pinning him under his larger body. Jason used this moment to unbuckle the sword from around his waist and tossed it to the side.

"Now we've got you!" Jason said cheerfully, clambering onto the bed next to Percy who had now started to run his face extremely closely to Nico's, breath ghosting across his neck. Jason sidled up behind the son of Poseidon, one hand running through Nico's black hair while the other tugged at his shirt.

"You can't say that you don't like this; I've seen the way you look at me," Percy whispered, licking a trail down Nico's neck. Nico let out a strangled groan, his hormones kicking in despite himself.

"You're not... You're not you!" he muttered, trying to turn his head away in order to avoid facing them both.

"Then why do we want you so badly?" Jason said, voice husky as he too leaned down to nip at Nico's earlobe. Nico bit his lip, which trembled in order to keep himself from crying out.

"Gods! There is something... else," Nico uttered even less forcibly now, as Percy had slid a hand up his shirt and trailed his fingers across his cold skin.

"Hmm, Jason. I suppose you're right... There _is_ something else I want," he said as his lips turned up into a smirk. His sea-green eyes seemed to dazzle with lust, and Jason reciprocated in full. Without uttering a word, the two boys leaned forward as their lips met in a clash of tongues and teeth. Nico let out a moan along with the both of them, and as they continued to make out in front of him (and on top of him) his brain simply ceased functioning.

Percy's lips moved slowly over Jason's, like a rolling tide; Jason's tongue flicked out across Percy's like a lightning strike, and electricity seemed to course through them as they fed off of each other's power. Nico's breathing became shallower and he tried to look away but found that he couldn't. Percy and Jason broke apart, stormy eyes focusing back on the prey they had pinned beneath them.

"What else could you possibly want?" they whispered in tune with one another, something that Nico would have found creepy if he weren't so turned on.

The question itself, however, was enough to give him pause; Leo's face flashed momentarily in his mind, all tan skin and warmth and that signature heated grin splayed across his elfin features. Nico's brain, affected as it was, twisted the image into Leo's fiery eyes focused on him with a passion never seen before, lips poised to leave trails of heat across his skin... Leo...

Nico's eyes glazed over as Percy and Jason descended upon him, sucking deep red marks onto his pale skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know why this chapter turned out to be a little awks (as in a lil’ rapey if you catch my drift) towards the end there. Let me make something perfectly clear... Nico is VERY heavily affected by this, and the whole point of this quest is for him to figure out how he feels about Percy/Jason/LEO ;) Percy and Jason aren’t in control of their own emotions/actions (hormones) either, so they’re acting on that. 
> 
> Sorry guys, it’s late here and I just want to sleep.
> 
> Leave me a comment, much appreciated as always!
> 
> x

**Author's Note:**

> The title is Italian for "the fire of true love" which is an underlying theme here.
> 
> Please leave me a comment, they really make my day and inspire me to keep writing more! :)


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